February and Half of March 2021—Things That Were Good
Watching
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)—A trim and sartorially splendid Tucci (the very definition of la bella figura) travels through Italy taking small, euphoric bites of regional cuisine. I hope Tucci has stock in Alitalia because who is not booking tickets thanks to this series? I’m still thinking about episode one in which an Italian family shares their Sunday meal of wild rabbit and explains that the parts of the rabbit are doled out in a hierarchical fashion—the best, fattiest piece for the Papa, followed by other nice pieces for the children (children are respected because they represent the future), on down the line until the least desirable pieces—the cheeks and skull—are left for the—wait for it—momma.
ZDogg MD Video dated 2/22 entitled “Pandemic’s End” (YouTube)—Features the absolutely brilliant queen with the most captivating voice, UCSF infectious disease specialist Dr. Monica Gandhi. This is worth a watch to understand why the science shows that we will turn the corner (and already are very much turning the corner) on the pandemic (thank you to dear friend Roma M. for turning me on to this).
Listening
The podcast “Gola” by Katie Parla, Rome-based foodie, and Danielle Callegari, professor of Italian at Dartmouth—in case Tucci leaves you with an unquenchable desire go deeper into all things Italian cuisine.
Reading
The article “Beige Ambition” from The Cut about Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s minimalist and outlandishly expensive fashion line, The Row, and whether it will survive the pandemic—lots of themes to dig into here.
Appreciating
The news that that the Judy Blume book Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret will be made into a movie starring Rachel McAdams—the most seminal work of our childhoods, no?
Shook By
Harry-Meghan—Of course, we are all unpacking this in our own way, but, for the moment, I linger on the Harry-William relationship and the complications of adult sibling dynamics—specifically, the sad reality of how someone who was once irrefutably the person closest to you in your life can grow to be a veritable stranger.
Using
Brooklyn Delhi’s condiments—pickles, curry ketchup and mustard, loads of recipes on their website—not sure how we did without.
8Greens—sweet little effervescent tablets that you drop into water to give you all the greens your body craves/needs and this interesting article on the founders from The Financial Times—How to Spend It.
Liquid IV—Pandemic (and all the associated drinking) got you dehydrated? These single serve packets are a life saver and headache eliminator (thank you to lovely Danica R. for the hook up!).
This coffee recipe from @emilyweiss. Whisk these things together with the frother you bought at the beginning of the pandemic with the intention of making Dalgona Coffee. This is a nice way to start the day and regulates the blood sugar so that you can have brekkie a little later in the morning (my personal preference):
1-2 cups any coffee
2 scoops Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer
¼ teaspoon ashwagandha powder
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 tablespoon MCT oil
1 tablespoon ghee (plain or flavored—Fourth and Heart makes a vanilla bean flavor—my ancestors in heaven are rolling their eyes at the thought of vanilla bean ghee, but, what to do, it’s good)
Reporting Back
Saint Supply Living Elixir—Further to my last “Things That Were Good,” I’ve finished the bottle of olive oil and am sufficiently coated in it such that you can make an omelet in me. It was not a game changer by any stretch so end scene on that.
Thank you for your many thoughtful responses to my last piece on Natasha Poonawalla. Your interest validated my continued obsession. Just for fun, here is a pic of her getting the jab in a beauteous dress. How many of us can say that we actually made the vaccine that we received?
Leaving This Here
Do you feel the slow creep of busyness again? For me, it is both exhilarating and anxiety provoking to imagine the pandemic After Life. Will we even remember that there were things that we vowed never to revive? Will we remember the gifts that the quiet brought? Here is a poem by Mary Oliver which perfectly captures this moment, introduced to me by @kellycorrigan whose wisdom got many of us through the worst of it.
Today
Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word.
I’m letting all of the voodoos of ambition
sleep.
The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.
But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.
Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple.
Xo –P
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